Despite broad agreement that today's 9-1-1 system remains a relic from a receding era of plain old telephone service, instituting a new high-tech and multimedia emergency call system will first require some serious grappling with technology.

To that end, the Federal Communications Commission released Dec. 21 a notice of inquiry (.pdf) asking for feedback within 45 days on issues tied to the establishment of Next Generation 9-1-1.

For example, devices projected to have communications capability in the near future include in-car systems, tablet computers and game consoles. Should every end-user device with Internet connectivity have the ability to request emergency assistance through 9-1-1? Would that require devices to undergo certification testing so users are guaranteed 9-1-1 access from their music player?

Or, take texting: Many Americans already think they can SMS 9-1-1 (they can't) and those that don't think it's possible expect to be able to do so soon. But, SMS has limitations, the notice says. A sender can't know whether the message has been received. Also, since each SMS is independent, texts from a single conversation could be routed to multiple places. Could SMS, the FCC asks, include location information to help in the routing of the texts? Or would it be possible to maintain session continuity across sessions?

Then there's the matter of transition itself. It won't be a flash cut from today's system to NG9-1-1, the notice states. Given that, how will next generation and legacy networks operate together simultaneously? What will happen if the roll out of NG9-1-1 occurs county by county, leading a potential situation where a caller for assistance could send a mobile phone photo to the 911 call center in one county, but not in the adjoining county?

In a statement accompanying the notice, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski noted that nearly 70 percent of all 237 million annual 9-1-1 calls come from mobile phones.

"The technology is there. The question is: Will we be able to harness that technology to revolutionize America's 9-1-1 system," he added.

For more:
- download the NG9-1-1 notice of inquiry (.pdf)

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